Alberta Match Play Championship – June 06-08 – Silver Springs Golf & Country Club

Field: 90 male & 30 female players for qualifying round. 16 player brackets for championship

Format: 18 holes of stroke-play competition to determine seeding in brackets

Eligibility: Males and Females. Must be a 8.0 Handicap Factor or less

SVR Alberta Open Championship – June 19-21 – River Spirit Golf Club

Field: 120 professional and amateur players

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Eligibility: Must be a 5.0 Handicap Factor or less

Alberta Mid-Amateur Championship – June 26-28 – Glendale Golf & Country Club & Stony Plain Golf Course

Field: 200 players

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Eligibility: Must be a 8.0 Handicap Factor or less and aged 25 & over as of the first day of the Canadian Mid-Amateur

Alberta Junior & Juvenile Boys Championship U19 & U17 – July 03-06 – Sundre Golf Club

Field: 120 players

Format: 72 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties including age protection

Eligibility: Must be a 15.0 Handicap Factor or less and aged 18 & under as of August 1^st

Alberta Junior & Juvenile Girls Championship U19 & U17 – July 02-04 – Coyote Creek Golf & RV Resort

Field: 120 players

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition

Eligibility: Must be a 25.0 Handicap Factor or less and aged 18 & under as of August 1^st

Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship – July 09-11 – Willow Park Golf & Country Club

Field: 120 players

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition

Eligibility: Must be a 25.0 Handicap Factor or less

Sun Life Financial Alberta Mens Amateur Championship – July 16-19 – RedTail Landing Golf Club

Field: 120 players

Format: 72 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Eligibility: Must be a 8.0 Handicap Factor or less

Alberta Senior Ladies Championship – July 24-26 – Woodside Golf Course

Field: 120 players

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition

Eligibility: Must be a 30.0 Handicap Factor or less and aged 50 & over as of the first day of the Canadian Senior

Alberta Senior Mens Championship – August 01-03 – Turner Valley Golf Club

Field: 120 players

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Eligibility: Must be a 20.0 Handicap Factor or less and aged 55 & over as of the first day of the Canadian Senior

Alberta Ladies Team Classic – August 07-08 – Stewart Creek Golf & Country Club & Canmore Golf & Curling Club

Field: 60 teams of two players

Format: 36 holes of net best-ball stroke-play competition

Eligibility: Each team member must be a 40.4 Handicap Factor or less

Alberta Bantam & Novice Championships U15 & U13 – August 21-22 – Goose Hummock Golf Resort

Field: 120 players

Format: 36 holes of stroke-play competition for Bantams. 36 holes of stableford competition for Novices

Eligibility: Boys must be a 36.4 Handicap Factor or less and Girls must be a 40.4 Handicap Factor or less. Boys and Girls must be aged 14 & under as of August 1^st

Alberta Interclub Championship – September 04 – Kananaskis Country Golf Course

Field: 36 teams of four players

Format: 18 holes of team gross & net stroke-play competition where the best three of four scores per hole are counted to the team total

Eligibility: Males and Females. Each team member must be a 20.0 Handicap Factor or less

Local Qualifying (18 holes stroke-play competition):

May 22 – Open Qualifying North – Edmonton Garrison Memorial

May 22 – Open Qualifying South – Valley Ridge Golf Club

May 26 – Junior Qualifying South – Riverview

May 27 – Junior Qualifying Edmonton – The Legends Golf & Country Club

May 27 – Junior Qualifying Calgary – Apple Creek

May 27 – Junior Qualifying North – Grande Prairie

May 29 – Mens Amateur Qualifying North – The Dunes

May 30 – Mens Amateur Qualifying Calgary – Carstairs Community Golf Club

May 30 – Mens Amateur Qualifying Edmonton – The Ranch Golf & Country Club

May 30 – Mens Amateur Qualifying Central – Olds

May 30 – Mens Amateur Qualifying South – Picture Butte

June 11 – Senior Mens Qualifying North – Goose Hummock

June 11 – Senior Mens Qualifying South – Nanton

REGISTER ONLINE AT ALBERTAGOLF.ORG

*Dates, venues, competition requirements and information are subject to change.

2018 Tournament Schedule

This article was originally published in the 2018 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

If you had to choose one hole, one view, to put on a poster celebrating Canadian golf, which hole would you choose? From Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, there are many iconic holes in Canada that could be considered. But for many golf aficionados in our country, the answer would be easy: the 14^thhole at the Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course – Wampum.

Designed by Stanley Thompson in 1928, the tough-as-nails 14^thon the famous layout has it all. A par-4 that tips out at 440 yards, it is, without a doubt, a beautiful summation of what golf in the Canadian Rockies is all about. And it’s a quintessential hole – a poster child! – in Canadian golf.

The historic, castle-like fortress of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel rising on the ridge high above the green, undoubtedly, is the hole’s most potent attribute. However, with the thundering cascade of Bow Falls on the right, the gently-bending pine-lined playing corridor, and the exceptional architectural characteristics of the hole, including an artistic swarm of ragged bunkers left and right of the green, there are many aspects of the hole that make it a true gem. And with all that eye candy – not to mention the intense challenges it presents – playing Wampum is alwayshighly memorable.

Originally the closing hole on the classic “Golden Age” layout, the 14^this still, for many, the pinnacle of the round. True, the sublime “Devil’s Cauldron,” the par-3 4^th, may get more love from the scribes and photographers. That’s understandable. It’s been considered one of the world’s great par-3s for 90 years. When you consider the stunning setting of that hole – the emerald pond, the natural bowl that cradles the green, the clutch of bunkers – it’s hard to downplay the significance, the near perfection, of “the Cauldron.”

However, as awesome as the 4^this, the regal 14^th, arguably, packs a more powerful punch. It’s the hole that gathers together all the key ingredients that make this Stanley Thompson course – the first course in history to cost one million dollars to build – a true Canadian icon, a masterpiece in global golf.

The location of the 14^th(and, remember, this was Thompson’s “grand finale” in the original route) is, obviously, the key to its success. “When Thompson was commissioned to build the course in 1928 there was a campground in this location,” says Steve Young, Banff’s Director of Golf. “But Thompson fought tooth and nail with Parks Canada to move the campground so this hole could be built. Long story short, he got his wish.”

In fact, in the end, moving the campground opened the door for a handful of “new” holes to be built, including, of course, his ideal closing run along the river and the storied opening hole (now the 15^th) on an aerie ledge adjacent the hotel. Not surprisingly, given the affection many people still have for the original routing, the course regularly pays homage to Thompson’s original vision by offering the “Heritage Golf Experience” each year.   

Not surprisingly, along with the compelling creation of this great hole, which is called “Wampum”, are many great moments throughout its long-running history. Fittingly, in the 2006 Canadian Skins Game – the contestants were Stephen Ames, John Daly, Greg Norman, Sergio Garcia, and Jack Nicklaus – the course was played in the original routing. For everyone on hand, a lasting memory of this exhibition was watching the great Jack Nicklaus, in one of his final competitive appearances, stroll up the 14^thwith the soaring Rockies and the grand hotel in the background. 

And, long before that, during the filming of River of No Return in 1953, the most famous actress of the time, Marilyn Monroe, strolled the fairways of Banff and filmed a scene near the 14^thhole. (She made costume changes in an old building adjacent the 14^thfairway – the building is gone but the foundation is still visible). Numerous other famous people – Joe DiMaggio, Bob Hope, Clint Eastwood, Henry Fonda, Bing Crosby, Bobby Locke and Winston Churchill, to name just a few – have also strolled down the 14^thfairway and, no doubt, been “wowed” by the surreal beauty. 

Regardless of how well you play the hole, Thompson’s exquisite shaping and powerful vision for the conclusion of the round is still the pinnacle of the golf experience at Banff. And, whether it’s a bogey or a birdie (or something in that vicinity), rest assured, the grand beauty here – punctuated by the majestic “Castle of the Rockies” looming high above – will be a rich reminder of where your good fortune has brought you.

Wampum

This article was originally published in the 2018 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

As I was growing up, my friends and I were always outside playing games. Most revolved around sports but at times there were some very intense imagination games played. The one constant were the rules but the wildcard was how to play under those rules and that’s what amped up the fun level.

When it comes to the game of golf, players can apply the same logic and make that Saturday/Sunday morning round a touch different from the 18 hole, play your own ball format.

Craig Loughry, with Golf Canada, suggests trying something other than stroke play and see how that fits into your regular tee time. You might get more than just your foursome playing along.

“Any version of that where you’re partnering and just taking the best shot of yours or your partner’s that obviously helps in including more people in I guess what you might call a social competition. It can get serious but allowing the higher handicap players be part of a team, they will be more likely to say yes to that competition than on their own where they might feel a little intimidated.”

Match play is the simplest alteration to you just playing your own ball. You go one on one with another player using your handicaps to level the playing field. You can also use match play as a foursome to partner up with another player and use a best ball format to go hole by hole.

He says partnered events are starting to creep into courses around Canada more often these days as one-off events and he’d like to see it become more of an every-day play type of thing in our country.

“Countries like Scotland and Ireland, they play most of their golf partnered. They do play a lot of match play but they do a lot of partnered events,” he said.

A popular version over seas is the alternate shot format with both partners teeing off and from there you choose which ball to play and alternate shots until you hole out.

“You can imagine what that does for pace of play there. They play fairly quickly over there for a lot of reasons but one of them is because they are playing foursome type events and that’s just for normal, everyday play.”

There are plenty of versions of scrambles to choose from and it can be a full field of players taking part or Loughry says take one day and make a change to how you play your round. For some high handicap players, it might take away some of the pressure they might feel playing with lower handicap golfers.

“When you introduce the concept of a partner, you have someone to lean on. The neat thing about partnered events is it also works the other way,” he said. “So, if your partner hits a bad shot, they may leave you in a bad spot and you might feel a little more pressure but at least you’re able to have a better chance of being in a better spot on the golf course when you do have a partner.”

Loughry says the partner style of golf is not something you see in North America for the most part and he’s not sure why it doesn’t pop up on a more regular basis amongst foursomes out for their daily or weekly round.

“It’s still golf. Why not try something a little bit different?”

Another foursome competition called Wolf is another option. At the start, the teeing order is decided by flipping a tee and the order is rotated (on the first hole 1,2,3,4, on the second hole 2,3,4,1, on the fifth hole 1,2,3,4, again and so on).

The Wolf is always the last player teeing off each hole and then he selects a player to be his partner for that hole or he can go it alone against the other three. If the Wolf and partner win the hole, each gets two points. If the non-wolf partners win they get three points each. If the Wolf wins the hole playing alone he/she gets four points and if another player beats the lone Wolf then all players except the Wolf get a point.

Another version is having partners chosen by the two shots which are left of the fairway and the two which are right. Then you can play a best ball or alternate shot with the lowest score getting the point.

No matter how you slice it (pun intended), shaking up that regular round of golf can be fun, interesting and challenging.

Other than a golf ball and maybe some pocket change, what have you go to lose?

Get Golf Ready

This article was originally published in the 2018 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

The social media post sends a shockwave through your system. The news is so good, so exciting, you let go a high-pitched “yee haw!” in your living room. Your partner looks over and wonders what’s come over you. “The course is opening in two weeks, honey!” you say, wide-eyed, bouncing from wall to wall – “Gotta get ready!”

Without a doubt, getting ready for the golf season is a prerequisite, an obligation of the obsession, for everyone “in the fold.” And there are many moving parts to consider. For example, what are the latest weapons you’ll want to stash in your quiver? And where are you going to go for a quick, pre-season getaway? Most importantly, perhaps, how are you going to fix those nagging issues with your golf swing? Your flexibility? (Or lack thereof).

So much to do, so little time. 

The Pre-Season Getaway

To whet your whistle and iron out the kinks, a quick pre-season getaway to a place where flagsticks flicker in the breeze is the ideal way to kick off the golf season. Here are a few of your best options.

Vancouver Island – Hop on a one-hour flight to Victoria or Comox and you’re minutes away from great golf. True, it may not be short-sleeve weather in March but, bottom line, you can play golf on Vancouver Island year round. And sauntering along the lush-green fairways of Bear Mountain (two courses by Jack Nicklaus) or Crown Isle (only five minutes from the Comox Valley Airport) is going to put a smile on your face. Especially when you consider your buddies back home are scraping windshields and shoveling their driveways from yet another 10-centimeter dump. www.golfvancouverisland.ca.

The Valley of the Sun – Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa – you pick – are all “can’t miss” destinations for a quick early spring (or winter) getaway. We-Ko-Pa – which features two spectacular desert courses in Fountain Hills – never disappoints. Other upscale retreats – such as The Boulders, TPC Scottsdale, and Troon North – are also awesome places to play. If you need to watch the pocketbook, Papago, a rock-solid city course just fifteen minutes from Sky Harbour Airport, is often considered one of the best bangs for your buck in the state. www.experiencescottsdale.com. 

St. George, Utah – Just one hour north of the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, the golf scene in St. George, Utah is a much more down-to-earth desert golf genre that budget-conscious golfers will appreciate. Dubbed “The Red Rock Golf Trail,” the panoramic vistas, half-dozen dazzling desert courses, and hot dry weather make this one of the most underrated and beautiful golf destinations in North America. www.redrockgolftrail.com            

New Moves

 Let’s be honest, there’s probably a reason (or two) why you’re not on the tour making millions. Yes, that head-high snap-hook could indicate some sort of mechanical malfunction with your swing. And if your “move” needs a makeover, thankfully, there are a number of indoor (and outdoor) golf centres in Alberta where talented teaching pros can sort out your self-styled swat. Here are three of the top year-round golf centres in the province.  

Golf Canada Calgary Centre– With 52 enclosed hitting stalls (40 are heated) and seven full-time PGA of Canada Teaching Professionals, Golf Canada Calgary Centre is the go-to place for pre-season practice in Calgary. Whether it’s a spring tune-up or a complete overhaul, the professional instructors at Golf Canada will guide you into a program or lesson series that can turn your hard-left heatseekers into laser-straight missiles. www.golfcanadacentre.ca. The facility is also home to DM Golf Performance – a first-rate fitness facility that helps golfers perform better through improved motion and strength training. www.dmgolfperformance.com

Grand Slam Golf Academy (Calgary) – If the most technologically-advanced teaching methodologies intrigue you, a session (or five) at the Grand Slam Golf Academy in Calgary should be high on your “to do” list before the season hits. Thanks to the RoboGolfPro – the only one of its kind in Western Canada – students can “feel” the perfect golf swing for their ability and physique. The state-of-the-art teaching and practice facility also boasts the SAMPutt Lab (your putting stroke will be dissected in ways you never thought possible) and the most advanced virtual simulators on the market today. www.gsga.ca

Evergreen Golf Centre (Lethbridge) – Golfers in the deep south of the province have a climate – and a golf centre – that is all their own. This often means the 9-hole par-3 course at the Evergreen Golf Centre in Lethbridge is open on regular greens…even in the dead of winter! This well-rounded, well-maintained facility also boasts an excellent covered driving range (with overhead heaters) and year-round lessons from some of Alberta’s finest instructors. Their $99 “Get Golf Ready” group lesson program is a great way to kick off the year. www.evergreengolfcentre.com 

New Fashion

On days when you don’t want to wear your knickers or air-conditioned kilt (going “retro” can be tricky), you’ll likely want to opt for something a lot more, well, comfortable and contemporary. The trend to high-performance designs and fabrics continues to be a major focus for golf apparel companies. Here’s a look at a few brands to watch for. 

PUMA GOLF – Make no mistake, there is nothing “foul” about Rickie Fowler in golf gear. And PUMA is more than happy to have him (and Lexi Thompson, Graham DeLaet, and many others) flaunt the goods. PUMA GOLF’s Spring Summer 2018 Collection features bold and fresh colours, cutting-edge technologies, and dazzling patterns. Known for fusing off-course trends with high-tech performance, the Botanic Polo – complete with eye-catching micro-floral print and Puma’s DryCELL technology – is a fine example of what this brand is all about. $75.00 www.cobragolf.com/pumagolf 

Bradley Allen – Looking to wear clothing with a Canadian connection? Look no further than Bradley Allen. Founder Brad Franklin – a former PGA of Canada Assistant Golf Professional – has become one of the most respected clothing designers in the game. “Rooted in golf’s traditions yet informed by the present,” the sophisticated yet functional line features men’s polos, knits, layering pieces, pants, and shorts. The PrimaLoft Graphite Melange Vest – with unprecedented warmth-to-thickness insulation – is perfect for Alberta’s unpredictable wind and weather. $149.00 www.bradley-allen.com

Sunice Golf – When over 60 PGA and LPGA pros (including phenom Brooke Henderson) choose to wear your gear (for no endorsement dollars!), it’s a pretty good indication you’re doing something right. And, for over 40 years, Sunice has been doing manythings right. Especially for golfers who want lightweight, breathable, flexible, and waterproof clothing that will protect them from the elements. Their vests and jackets – including the Ladies’ Bianca Duotech Softshell Stretch Jacket – are a prime example. $115.00 www.sunice.com

New Clubs

While your laminated woods might work well for kindling, they probably aren’t getting the job done on the course anymore. If you’re due for an equipment upgrade, heed the advice of professionals. See your friendly-neighborhood golf pro. Demo different clubs to find what you like and what works. And get fitted!

That said, there are, literally, hundreds of premium golf clubs out there that can give your game a nudge in the right direction. While you can’t “buy yourself a golf game,” with properly-fitted, state-of-the-art sticks your swings are going to be sweeter. And you willsave strokes. Here are a few clubs worth trying in 2018.

PING G400 –PING founder Karsten Solheim started making clubs in his garage in California back in 1959. Today, nearly sixty years later, the “love” he put into those experiments is still evident. PING’s latest installment – the G400 series – is yet another example of the passion and precision this company was founded on. The G400 Driver – the fastest and most forgiving driver ever created by the company – features a forged face, tungsten backweight, and a drag-reducing shape that will have you bombing it by all your buddies. www.ping.com 

PXG– Created by GoDaddy founder and billionaire, Bob Parsons, PXG (“Parsons Extreme Golf”) is causing a major buzz in the golf industry. Although extremely expensive – a full set will run you about $5,000 – these stylish and progressive clubs feel like butter. With more and more touring pros (and beautiful Instagram celebrities) signing on the dotted line to play and promote PXG, it’s safe to say this fast-growing company is here to stay. www.pxg.com  

TaylorMade – Since 1979 the mission at TaylorMade has remained constant: to produce the best performing golf clubs in the world. And, like all the major manufacturers, their product line is deep and wide. Although TaylorMade is widely known for making some of the best drivers in the game in the past couple of decades, their irons have also become top-calibre tools built for every skill level. For discerning “players,” the P790 irons combine forged construction and, thanks to their SpeedFoam technology, enhanced speed, feel, and forgiveness, all for $1599.99 www.taylormadegolf.ca  

New Gadgets

Not surprisingly, given the age we’re in, hi-tech gadgets are blazing new trails in the industry. From awesome apps to sleek GPS watches – and everything in between – there are hundreds of smart little devices that can help you bag your birdies and track your tee shots. Here are a few of the best new gadgets out there.

Arccos 360 – Dubbed as “The World’s Smartest Golf Performance Tracking System,” the Arccos 360 system – thanks to 14 individual sensors that are inserted into the butt-end of each club – captures all your performance data in real time. It then uses GPS, advanced analytics, and Artificial Intelligence to provide detailed information on how far you hit each club, which club to hit in every situation, what to practice, and much more for $360.00 www.arccosgolf.com 

TLink Watches – What’s the quickest and easiest way to get your distance to the front, middle, and back of the green plus all the hazards in your line of fire, you ask? Easy. Just glance at your watch. That’s the premise behind Tlink. You can also track your stats and your fitness with these sleek and stylish watches for $99.00www.golftlink.com

Swing Caddie SC200 – Not long ago launch monitors – which instantaneously calculate ball speed, clubhead speed, carry distance, smash factor, and more – were thousands of dollars and could only be accessed at high-end golf training facilities. Not anymore. The Swing Caddie SC200 is a portable and affordable personal launch monitor (about the same size as your phone) that provides instant, voice-enabled feedback on all the key numbers you need to know after every shot for $349.99. www.voicecaddy.com

Best of luck as you hit the course this Spring!

Get Golf Ready

This article was originally published in the 2018 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Hosting the Canadian Women’s Open is a big deal for golf clubs.  Not everyone can do it.  Course layout, club support, clubhouse amenities and volunteer commitment all play a vital role in deciding who can play host.

Priddis Greens met all the necessary requirements and more, when it hosted the 2016 CP Women’s Open. The 36 hole facility is located just outside of Calgary.  The course is always in excellent shape and the scenery is spectacular.

The Canadian Open attracts the top female golfers from all over the world.  According to tournament director Brent McLaughlin, Priddis Greens was an easy choice.  He says they knocked it out of the park.  “The feedback from the players was very good, from the food to the warm hospitality to the playing conditions.

For fans, this tournament is a chance to get up close and personal with stars of the game like Ariya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko or perhaps Canadian favourite Brooke Henderson.  Fans also have the opportunity to see up and comers like Jaclyn Lee or Jennifer Ha.  You can follow them around the golf course or pull up a seat beside and green and watch some of the best birdie seekers do their thing.  The fan experience is truly amazing and something you’re sure to remember.  When you’re that close to the action, it makes you realize just how good these women are.  Four young fans, it may even inspire them to take the game further.

Last year was not the first time Priddis Greens has hosted the Open; in fact it’s the third time.  “Having hosted this event twice before provided invaluable experience” says Golf Course Manager James Beebe.  “Understanding the expectations and the process leading up to the event enabled our team to execute our plan with very few surprises’.  He added “It provided for a somewhat stress free event and we were all able to fully enjoy it.” Of course, you couldn’t put on this kind of event without the help of volunteers and they needed plenty for the Canadian Open.  “We had just over 12 hundred volunteers” says Bas Wheeler, the Host Club Tournament Chair.  And it wasn’t a problem getting Calgarians to step up.  “Our event was one week before the Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows, but we were able to fill our volunteer needs and do did that event.  You may recall the weather wasn’t great for either event but we had no issue with volunteers not showing up for their shifts.”

And during tournament week, it has to be all hands on deck for the staff to make sure the course is in pristine condition.  Beebe says during tournament week approximately forty golf course maintenance staff are required to prepare the golf course very early in the morning, starting in the dark with lights prior to play.  In the late afternoon another forty staff members are required to follow a safe distance behind the final groups and work until dark to perform additional maintenance tasks.

Early starts of crucial to setting up events like the Canadian Women’s Open.  Beebe says because of the size and scope it takes two months to build temporary structures such as bleachers, corporate skyboxes, television towers and merchandise tents.  He says you also have to be careful not to damage the course in the process.

Last year Ariya Jutanugarn won the CP Canadian Women’s Open, but she wasn’t the only one who came out victorious.  Children benefit through Canadian Pacific’s CP Has Heart Campaign says tournament director Brent McLaughlin.  “Last year CP donated two million dollars to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in support of pediatric cardiac care and research.  A total of 4.3 millions dollars has been raised in support of children’s heart health in the first three years of CP’S sponsorship of the event.”

Jaclyn Lee, who competed in the 2016 CP Women’s Open, poses next to the train.

The host club was a winner as well, says Host Club Tournament Chair Bas Wheeler.  “We sold more than a dozen memberships that week alone, and the club’s net income from the event was $250,000.”

The legacy and aftermath of hosting a major LPGA event varies depending on who you’re talking to.  For the Head Professional at Priddis Greens, Ron Laugher, the tournament enriches the club’s history with many stories from players, caddies, volunteers, staff and spectators.  And that’s not all. “Hosting an event like this instills a great deal of pride within the membership, it helps establish the quality of your club to the rest of the world.  The exposure is priceless.”

For Bas Wheeler, it’s about the privilege of hosting the Canadian Women’s Open three times, in 1999, 2009 and 2016.  “There are a number of artifacts from the event that are displayed in the Clubhouse and around the facility as a reminder to members and guests about the Open” says Wheeler.  He goes on to say “Members who billeted players have an experience they’ll likely never forget.

Golf Course Manager James Beebe says everyone is proud of the fact they’ve hosted this event three times.  “Priddis Greens is truly a world class golf facility that our membership are all very passionate and proud of.  Having the opportunity to showcase our golf course on an international stage is something that no doubt adds to both the legacy of the club and pride within the membership.”

When you’ve been chosen to host this tournament three times you must be doing something right, but the big question is, would the tournament committee go back to Priddis Greens for a fourth time?

McLaughlin says Alberta has always been a terrific host for the Women’s Open and Golf Canada amateur events.  “Our mandate is to move Canada’s National Women’s Open championship across the country.  However, CP has a very strong footprint in the Calgary area with nearly two thousand employees plus their families.  He went to say “You never know what the future has in store but with any luck, we’ll be back at Priddis Greens again one day.

Ron Laugher sure wouldn’t mind.  “We look forward to the opportunity to host the Canadian Championship again.”

The 2017 CP Women’s Open is currently underway, at the Ottawa Hunt & Country Club.

Hosting the CP Women’s Open

This article was originally published in the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Jennifer Ha competing in the Bank of Hope Founders’ Cup in Phoenix in March, 2017

Jennifer Ha is proud to be representing Calgary, proud to be representing Alberta, proud to be representing Canada as a rookie on the LPGA Tour.

There are days, though, that she misses home a little less than others.

“Right now, I feel soooo lucky to be in Florida,” Ha admitted after a sun-drenched, short-sleeved range session in early March, a day that family and friends would have been shoveling sidewalks and scraping windshields back home.

“Because thinking back, I’m like, ‘Wow, it was really cold when I was out there practising.’ It would be like 20-below — you know how cold it gets in Calgary in the winter — but I’d still be on the range, and I would turn all the heaters on and I would be out there with my dad. I would have, like, four or five layers on. It would be hard for me to swing, but I’d still be out there.

“I was pretty competitive. I didn’t want anybody to have an upper hand, so I would grind it out in the cold, I guess.”

All that hard, sometimes shivery work has paid off.

Raised in the Stampede City but now based in the Sunshine State, Ha was one of the success stories of LPGA Tour Q-School last fall. Despite a bout with the flu at the worst possible time, she gutted out a tie for eighth at the final stage of the three-part qualifying quest, a result that guarantees full status for 2017.

“Being from a winter sport country, it definitely feels like I’ve achieved something that not a lot of people do,” said Ha, who fired a five-round tally of 8-under 352 at the final entrance exam. “I definitely have that sense of pride with me when I’m out there — just knowing that I’m from Calgary and I’m from Alberta and that’s where my roots are.”

Now 23, Ha was a junior member at Inglewood and later at Glencoe and Country Hills.

She collected hardware at several other courses close to home. At Lynx Ridge, for example, where she triumphed at the 2015 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship, turning pro soon after. At Nanton, where she claimed her first provincial title as a bantam in 2008. And in between, at Canmore Golf & Curling Club and then River’s Edge, where she was crowned Alberta’s junior girls’ champion in 2011 and repeated the feat the following summer.

Before any of those trophy presentations, Ha was a star-struck spectator when the LPGA Tour stopped at Royal Mayfair in Edmonton in 2007 for what’s now known as the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. (She’s since teed off in her national open three times, including a missed-cut last August at Priddis Greens.)

“I don’t feel like it was that long ago for me since I was sitting on the range, looking up to all these players,” Ha said. “I was searching in my room the other day and I found a flag from the Mayfair Club and I had Michelle Wie sign it when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old. And then in Australia, at the second event of the season, I had dinner with her.

“I was sitting across the table from her thinking, ‘Wow, a few years ago, I was getting her autograph.’ That was pretty cool.”

It’s pretty cool, too, for aspiring and emerging birdie-seekers from Alberta to see one of their own on Golf Channel.

“I think it serves as motivation that it can be done,” said Luke Workman, one of the coaches to Team Alberta’s junior girls. “That, yeah, you can practise inside and deal with all the hindrances that come along with our climate and still make a go of it, still reach the LPGA Tour.”

“I think the fact that she’s there is going to make a statement,” echoed Laura Witvoet, the first woman from the Wild Rose Province to compete on the LPGA Tour and now the general manager and director of instruction at Wolf Creek Golf Resort. “This just solidifies that it can happen, that it’s a possibility, that it’s real.”

Ha is proof of it.

She is a past member of Team Alberta and has climbed the ranks with Golf Canada — from the development program to the national amateur team to the Young Pro Squad.

She played many of the same tournaments as the current wave of up-and-comers. She shared some of the same experiences.

She knows what it’s like to swing a golf club in an outfit better suited for skiing.

“She won the Alberta Bantam Championship when she was 14, and I have her golf bag in my office at the Edge School,” said Randy Robb, head coach of Team Alberta and also golf director at the Edge School for Athletes. “Students will ask, ‘What’s that?’ Well, that’s Jennifer Ha’s golf bag. She won the Bantam Championship and now she’s on the LPGA Tour.

“It’s a tremendously long process. She played well as a bantam, and then she went to the Western Canada Summer Games and the Canada Games and then four years at Kent State.

That’s 10 years of competitive golf.

“There was a lot of hard work put in, for sure. And there was success at every level — bantam and then junior and college, and then trying to figure out the next level and then working hard towards that.”

Ha will compete in the 2017 CP Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt Golf Club from Aug. 21st to 27th. View her current LPGA profile and follow her on Twitter: @JENNIFERHA0201.

On Tour with Jennifer Ha

This article was originally published in the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Team Alberta tees off today for the 2017 Canada Summer Games, view this year’s squad.  

Experiences of two of Alberta golfers at the last 2013 Canada Summer Games in PEI.

For Sabrine Garrision and Matt Williams, it turned into more than a golf tournament. This was the Canada Summer Games, new for the two Albertans and oh-so fulfilling. Memories, medals, mementos.

“I still have a P.E.I. hoodie that I wear quite often, funnily enough,” chuckles Williams, who bartered for the cherished keepsake after the closing ceremonies of the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que. “It’s crazy to think it’s already been four years, but I still recall a lot of it. An awesome experience.”

Swapping province-issued apparel had been only part of the fun. Competing was a thrill, too. Williams earned bronze in the boys’ individual competition, while Garrison, a fellow Calgarian, bagged bronzes for girls’ individual and team play.

“It seems like a very different time in my life,” says Garrison, who just finished her junior year at the University of Minnesota. “But I look back with fondness.”

Apparently, participation in the Canada Summer Games – staged every four years – comes highly recommended. “I had a really great time,” says Garrison. “It was unique. Something I’d never experienced. I’m excited for the girls and boys who get to participate this year.”

For the 2017 Canada Summer Games, the Wild Rose squad’s teenagers – three boys and three girls, based on the current order of merit and last year’s handiwork – are annoyed in the summer. One of 19 sports on display in Winnipeg, July 28 to Aug. 13, golf’s results are determined by 72-hole stroke play at the Southwood club.

“We’ve certainly promoted it as being a huge life experience,” says Randy Robb, who coaches and manages Alberta Golf’s high-performance sport development. “We’re definitely trying to make it a premier event on the calendar. “It’s quite memorable in terms of how different it is.”

Golf made its Canada Summer Games debut in 2009. At Prince Edward Island that year. Alberta’s girls and boys finished fourth and sixth, respectively. Four years later, the girls picked up bronze, while the boys stood fourth. “B.C. and Ontario tend to be strong every year,” Robb says. “Quebec is another province we always battle with … we’d like to have a strong team and pick up medals, for sure.”

Granted, with the fixed field – limited to the top three from every province – the talent pool isn’t as deep as, say, national championships.

But the calibre is high. “You certainly get the best possible contenders,” says Williams, a junior at the University of Houston next year. “All the best players are there, so it is kind of a showdown.”

In addition to the podium push, the Canada Summer Games provides an eye-opening environment for golfers. Staying in dorms. Eating in mess halls. Sporting team colours. Travelling in buses. Mixing with non-golfing peers. Marching in closing ceremonies.

It’s a fresh vibe. “You’re not just playing for yourself – like you do throughout your junior career – you’re playing for the province,” says Williams. “Definitely a pretty interesting dynamic, trying to contribute to the medal table. You see athletes walking around with their medals and that gives you a little kick in the butt to go out and play well.”

Rubbing shoulders with standouts from all sorts of sports adds to the event’s flavor. (“Probably more than anything,” says Garrison, “I remember sharing those moments.”) Socializing also gives golfers a rare opportunity to unplug. After all, it’s easier to forget about the day’s bogey-bogey finish when you’re cheering wildly at a basketball match or kibitzing with the wrestlers.

“(It) is a chance to get away and actually clear your head,” says Alberta coach Bill Murchison, “which could be very beneficial.” Golf gets an undeniable boost from these high-profile multi-sport settings. No different than the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the game, in all its glory, is rolled out. Everyone benefits from that.

“Look at the best players in the world, they’re ridiculous athletes,” says Williams. “To put golf in that conversation is absolutely the right move. The year I played … you could definitely tell that golf was getting more respect for being a really legitimate sport, which it is. It’s getting the credit it deserves. To be the best, you have to train like a world-class athlete now.”

Murchison calls the opportunity to play in the Canada Summer Games “special” – because of the competition, because of the exposure, because of the experience. “Any time we get a chance to showcase the game and the values and life skills associated with the game,” he says, “it’s nothing but good.”

The 2017 Canada Summer Games run from July 28th to Aug. 13th in Winnipeg, MB. The event will welcome 20,000 visitors to feature 4,000 of Canada’s best athletes in 16 sporting categories. Golf presented by Birchwood Automotive Group, will take place on Aug. 8th to Aug. 11th at the Southwood Golf & Country Club. This year’s Alberta representatives include:

Canada Summer Games

This article was originally published in the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Look into planning your August long weekend golf trip around Alberta’s best holes.

From a golfer’s perspective, there is no Canadian province that can match the variety, and the beauty, of Alberta. Other than authentic seaside links, our province is home to every genre of the game. Mountain golf. Parkland golf. Prairie golf. Badlands golf. Foothills golf. Riverside golf. Municipal golf. We’ve got it all covered. And, not surprisingly, given the variety of the settings, the canvases, on which the game here is played, the province is teeming with awesome, postcard-worthy holes that showcase this dramatic, all-encompassing beauty.

The problem, if you can call it that, is singling out the best of the best. Ranking these great holes – the best our province has to offer – is both a monumental and subjective task. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And the criteria for what makes a golf hole great can be, for lack of a better word, confusing.

For some, the natural beauty of a hole is paramount. The actual design is secondary. For others, the strategic and architectural merit – the hazards, the natural and man-made contours, the options – count the highest. And many others would feel that difficulty, the hole’s ability to provide a world-class challenge, is the critical factor in terms of its inclusion in the “greatness” category.

Regardless of where, exactly, you stand on the “criteria,” some holes just seem to have it all. They are beautiful. They are challenging. They are architecturally superior. And, yes, they do, most definitely, scream “Alberta!”

The Best Par-3s

“The Shark” Greg Norman, prepares to hit a shot with a hickory club on the famous Devil’s Cauldron hole during the 2006 Telus World Skins Game

Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course, Hole 4, 165 yards – The famous “Devil’s Cauldron” has long been considered one of the greatest golf holes in the world. The perched tee, the glass-green lake, the punchbowl green, the clutch of ragged bunkers, the soaring face of Mt. Rundle: it all adds up to par-3 perfection.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course, Hole 15, 130 yards – Dubbed “Bad Baby,” this one-off lakeside par-3 at Jasper is short and sweet…and very, very scary. The setting along the lake and the evil slopes that guard the green make it one of the most brilliantly-conceived short holes in all of golf.

Kananaskis Country Golf Course, Mt. Kidd Course, Hole 4, 170 yards – Although nobody has hit a shot on this hole for the past four years (one more year to wait!), this gem of a par-3 will soon return to its former glory. With a gorgeous green ringed by a pond and the stunning peaks of K-Country looming behind the target, this hole is rightfully considered an Alberta icon.

Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club, The Raven, Hole 15, 133 yards – When done well, short par-3s bring an enticing and endearing element to a round of golf. Everyone can birdie them. Or double bogey them! Case in point: the over-the-pond 15^th on the The Raven at Priddis Greens.

Paradise Canyon Golf Resort, Hole 12, 131 yards – The dry-as-a-bone badlands of the Old Man River Valley – as well as never-ending river, prairie, and mountain views – are on full display on this little knee-knocker. When the wind is howling, as it often does here, a knock-down 4-iron might be the shot of choice.

The Best Par-4s

The old finishing hole at the Fairmont Banff Springs with the famous hotel in the background

Calgary Golf & Country Club, Hole 18, 417 yards – In a perfect world, the closing hole encapsulates the essence of a course, offers a fitting and challenging conclusion to the experience. And no hole in Alberta does this better than the robust, riverside finale at the Calgary Golf & Country Club.

Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Club, Hole 14, 411 yards – With the historic castle-like hotel in the background, the smooth-flowing Bow River meandering on the right, this meaty par-4 is a timeless testament to the Thompson-era of great golf course architecture. True, it should still be the finishing hole, but, regardless, it’s lofty status as one of Alberta’s great par-4s remains firmly intact. (Just like the next hole, the 15^th, which used to be the unforgettable start to the round!)

Red Deer Golf & Country Club, Hole 18, 445 yards – A closing birdie should be well-earned. And if you make a three on this beautiful, tough-as-nails par-4 – it plunges down the hill and requires length, accuracy and putting prowess – you’ve definitely earned your pat-on-the-back.

Innisfail Golf Club, Hole 6, Hazelwood, 362 yards – It’s well known in Alberta’s golf community: Innisfail is peppered with pristine parkland holes. And a perfect example is the tucked-away 6^th on the Hazelwood nine. This idyllic, short par-4 curls around the lake and is about as peaceful and perfect a setting for a golf hole in the province.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Hole 14, 355 yards – With the tee box sitting snug on the shore of Lac Beauvert and the rumpled fairway curling around the lake to the small, elevated green, this is the type of golf hole you could play every day and it would never get old! But, of course, this is just one of 18 reasons why Jasper is widely considered the best golf course in Alberta.

The Best Par-5s

The par-5 1st at Wintergreen is in awesome start to the round

Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, Hole 18, 551 yards – True, the best players on the PGA Tour Champions typically eat this hole up during the Shaw Charity Classic. (Case in point: Fred Couples’ eagle chip-in in 2015.) Smash a good drive and the water-guarded green might be in reach. A hole “Tin Cup” would love!

D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club, Hole 7, 521 yards – Careening through a natural coulee with a razor-thin green hard on the water, the 7^th at D’Arcy Ranch is equal parts beauty and beast. From the elevated tee, the spacious fairway begs you to “let the big dog eat!”

Wolf Creek Golf Resort, Hole 11, The Links Course, 527 yards – Dubbed “Hell’s Full Acre” (a play off Pine Valley’s famous “Hell’s Half Acre” hole), this awesome and artistic Rod Whitman concoction deserves more love. From the semi-blind tee shot to the rugged, wasteland of sand, this is a one-off hole that epitomizes Whitman’s talent and creativity.

Glendale Golf & Country Club, Hole 17, 536 yards – A late-round eagle? Hmmm. Maybe not. This prodigious round-wrecker is always a handful. Blast a drive down the right hand side and thoughts of getting home might surface. However, plenty of water, bunkers, and shin-high rough are cause for concern. And so is the massive, three-tiered green.

Blackhawk Golf Club, Hole 11, 562 yards – Plunging into the serene North Saskatchewan River Valley, the 11^th at Blackhawk – one of four awesome par-5s at Blackhawk – begins an amazing run of holes along the river. From a visual standpoint, golf holes don’t get any better!

Naturally – given the fact that Alberta is home to over 300 golf courses! – there are, literally, hundreds of heavenly holes that could easily have made the grade here. And a meager list of “honorable mentions” can hardly do it justice. The 1^st at Wintergreen? The 9^th at Heritage Pointe (Heritage 9)? The 18^th at the Lethbridge Country Club? The 1^st at Athabasca? The 18^th at the Edmonton Country Club? The list goes on and on.

In a golf-rich province such as Alberta, debating the best golf holes could last weeks. Fortunately, as we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And in Alberta, when it comes to beautiful golf holes, there are plenty to behold.

Alberta’s Best Holes

This article was originally published in the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Like maple syrup, history oozes at the Ponoka Golf Course.

Now one of Alberta’s top courses as evidenced by the choice of Alberta Golf to host the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur there on July 18-21, the course’s humble beginnings started out as just three sand-green holes in 1930.

Built on what used to be farm land by volunteers, doctors and staff of the Alberta Mental Hospital – now the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury – until they attached a mower to the back of a Ford tractor, sheep used to ‘cut’ and trim the grass according to a story by Gerry Dahms and Mike Rainone in the Ponoka News.

Situated in the scenic Battle River valley, the course really began in 1936 when it was expanded to nine holes and officially registered.

Green fees were just 25 cents but membership back then was highly exclusive: invitation only.

In 1987 the Ponoka Golf Course officially arrived when renowned architect Bill Robinson came in and designed nine more holes making the course the 18-hole marvel it remains today.

“He also tweaked the existing nine to make it fit with the new nine – changing a few holes here and there,” head pro and course manager Rob MacPherson said of Robinson, who has designed over 50 courses including many in Alberta including Innisfail, Red Deer’s River Bend, Calgary’s Sirocco, the Tunnel Nine in Banff and many, many courses in the Edmonton area like Lewis Estates, The Links, The Ranch, Sturgeon Valley, Cardiff, Belvedere, Cougar Creek and the rebuild of Windermere.

“I think he did a great job here while incorporating holes that are still here from the 1950s.

“I always like to say that the golf course is mostly a parkland style – the older style type of course with tighter tree-lined fairways – with a mix of some Links-style flair on the back nine,” said MacPherson, who, after stints at Devon and Wold Creek, came to Ponoka in the fall of 1988.

“It’s not a long course playing 6,615 yards from the back tees but it’s hardly a pushover.”

Instead, the emphasis is on position off the tee and then finding the right part of the greens – many of which are elevated. Because many of the greens are very deep – never mind undulating – many of them can be a three- to four-club difference.

“That’s especially true of some of the Par 3s,” said MacPherson. “For instance No. 5 can play anywhere from 140 to 226 yards.

“The Par 3s are really what make the golf course.”

MacPherson said the course “won’t get ripped apart” by the players in the Sun Life Financial Alberta Amateur.

“When we held the Alberta Mid-Am here last year the winning score for three days was 2-under,” he said of the victory by Banff’s Jordan Irwin.

“If I had to guess I’d project a score of 10- to 12-under winning it.”

While there are many great holes – including a tough finishing stretch – a big key to victory will be how the field for the Alberta Amateur handles Ponoka’s version of Augusta’s famed Amen Corner: holes 11 through 13.

Ponoka Hosts The Men’s Amateur

This article was originally published in the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.